Gundan
by Rinoneechan17
Summary: Since the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke has been living with family friend of the Uchiha Clan. Now that he's graduated from the academy, he must continue on his path of vengeance, but can friends and love from his foster family change that? ItachiXOC, SasukeXOC, plus other couplesxOCs. Rated T for violence, language, and some sexuality.
1. Beginnings

**Chapter 1 (this has actually been around since i first joined. So, i hope this time, this fanfic story actually turns out good.)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series  
**

**Rated T for language, violence, and some sexuality  
**

**Enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**Konohagakure, Land of Fire, 4 years ago...  
**

A girl of 14 sat in her room with the door open, so she could gaze out at the courtyard. The moon was full and bright, shining on her gold eyes. Her long, burgundy red hair was a hot mess and her kimono was loose. _Another restless night_. She sighed and glanced up at the moon, _it's only been a year...and it feels like he could come back any moment. _

She blinked, sensing something. The girl got up and walked to the door, peeking her head out. She glanced up and down the hall, then she heard a soft cry. A whimper, really. She slipped out of her room and marched down the hall to the last door on the left. The bedroom was nearly pitch dark, but she could see just fine. A boy was curled up on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. She could hear his muffled cries.

The girl sat down on the bed, "Hey, what's wrong? Come here."

She tried to gently grab his arm but he pulled away, tightening his grip on the pillow. The girl placed her hand on his back, "It's okay. No one's around. No one can see. It's okay."

The boy got up onto his elbows. He whimpered, his tears now falling on the mattress. He turned and latched himself onto the girl, burying his face in her shoulder. The girl held him and gently placed her hand on the back of his head. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here, Sasuke. It's okay."

**Present Day, April 15...**

Sasuke entered the dining room in silence. He sat down and began filling his plate with the various foods laid out on the table. A servant came and filled his cup. Sasuke regard the servant with a cold shoulder. "My, don't you look handsome."

Sasuke glanced across the room. A girl, who was only a year older than him, walked into the room. She wore a flak jacket and a pink and black, sleeveless kimono underneath with the skirt part forming a point behind her knees. As she moved, the holster on her right thigh became visible. She sat down across from Sasuke and placed her feet on the table. Sasuke glared at her bare feet, including the simple silver anklet she wore on her right ankle. "Do you always have to be so disgusting? Get your feet off the table."

"Oh, talking high and mighty just 'cause you graduated? That's very unlike you, Sasuke," she teased as a servant filled her cup. "I hope that mouth doesn't get you killed."

"Shut up," he frowned. "Get your feet off."

"Make me," she dared.

Sasuke set his fork down and lowered his hand out of sight. The servants froze, unsure of what to do as the two ninja stared at each other. Sasuke threw his knife and the girl tilted her head to avoid it. She grabbed her own knife and raised it.

"That's enough."

Sasuke and the girl froze. The servants bowed in respect as a young woman entered the room. Like the girl, she had the same rich, burgundy red hair and piercing gold eyes. She was noticeably short, yet curvaceous and well-endowed. She wore a purple and white kimono with a dark blue sash that trailed on the ground because of her short stature. Sasuke waited until the young woman sat down before returning to his seat. "Sasuke, I expected more from you. A shinobi shouldn't be easily goaded," she scolded with a emotionless expression. "Marise, you know better."

Marise plopped back down on to her chair, "Ugh, fine. Forgive me, Naomi."

Naomi said nothing. She glanced at the servants who immediately went back to work. Sasuke tapped his finger on the table, "Naomi..."

"I'm not telling you anything," Naomi replied, piling her food onto her plate. "Time's have changed since I graduated. I don't know what to tell you."

"You're 17. I highly doubt the program has changed," he said, pouting slightly.

"That was 10 years ago," she reminded and took a sip of her drink. "Relax, Sasuke. Though, I can't tell you want to expect, I know that you'll be prepared for anything. You're an exceptional boy. And a talented ninja. There was a big fuss over the two prodigies last year, and now, it's all on you."

"When are you gonna stop calling me a boy? I'm almost 13," he frowned, munching on a piece of toast.

"When you're taller than me," she smirked then returned to her emotionless expression. "Now, finish eating."

**Konohagakure Council Room...**

Naomi entered the windowless, soundproof room. Her companions waited outside and closed the door. She sat down at the small table. The two Advisers regarded her with sour glares, and the ANBU leader didn't glance her way. The Third Hokage greeted her with a nod. "Now that we're all here, let's begin the meeting."

**Memorial Stone, Third Training Ground...**

A young woman stood in front of the old slab. She wore a standard Konoha flak jacket and dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her matching mini-skirt had zippers on the thighs which she left undone for easy movement, and also wore open-toed sandals with low heels. She took her hair-tie off her wrist and put her white hair up in a high ponytail. The shorter strands fell around her face, framing it. She pulled her Konoha headband out of her back pouch and tied it onto her forehead.

"You look good in that."

The young woman glanced over her shoulder, "What're you doing here, Kakashi? Shouldn't you be at the Academy picking up your Genin?"

"I'm already an hour late." Kakashi approached her side, standing a good six inches over her. "Another fifty-five won't matter."

"I suppose, since you'll probably fail them," she grumbled.

"I try to give every team a chance," he replied as a matter-of-factually. "You know you'll have to do it eventually."

"I still got a few years until then. I'm kinda glad you convinced me to get out of the ANBU," she crossed her arms under her chest.

"Kinda glad?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Don't flatter yourself," she smirked.

Kakashi met her gaze, admiring that gleam in her red eyes. "So, do you wanna get some lunch? My treat?"

She sighed and smiled. She turned around and placed her hand on his arm, "Go to the Academy. Pick up your team. I'll see you later."

Kakashi glanced at the slab. As she started to walk away, he grabbed her hand before it slipped off his arm. "Nanami..."

"Relax," she smiled reassuringly. "I'll see you later, alright? You can't make those kids wait forever."

He let go of her hand and watched her walk away. Nanami paused and glanced back, "Oh, I almost forgot...I got you something."

"Hm?"

Nanami reached into her pouch and pulled out a book, "The new one just came out: Make-Out Paradise. You wanted it, right?"

Kakashi gasped and shook in disbelief as he slowly took the book from her. "Well, you're welcome," she said. "I don't know why you're so interested in them. They're totally boring."

Kakashi ignored her and immediately flipped the book open to page one. Nanami frowned in annoyance, _ugh. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten him that. _

**Konohagakure Council Room...**

"Very well. That concludes our business," the Third Lord stated. "Meeting adjourned."

Danzo got up first and left. The two Advisers left together. Naomi rose to her feet, "Lord Third...if I may ask, who was assigned to mentor Sasuke Uchiha and his teammates?"

"Sasuke? Oh, that's right, he's your ward, isn't he?"

"Yes," she answered, narrowing her eyes. "I'm surprised you've forgotten."

The Third Lord chuckled, blowing smoke from his pipe. "Hmm, Sasuke Uchiha...I believe Kakashi Hatake has been assigned to his team."

Naomi raised a brow and glanced away in thought, _Kakashi, huh? _"Thank you, Third Lord."

"Are you worried about him?"

She met his gaze. Naomi folded her arms together, slipping her hands into her sleeves. "I'm not so much worried as I am concerned about how Sasuke will cooperate. He's got a terrible superiority and inferiority complex. And he's quite stubborn. Try as I have, his personality has stemmed from..." her voice trialed off and she sighed. "I just want him to succeed. To live his life here, where he belongs."

"I understand your concerns, Naomi." The Third Hokage stood up and took another drag on his pipe. "Let's see how Sasuke fairs against Kakashi. You're worried that he won't deviate from his path of vengeance. Perhaps, being on a team will help him."

Naomi bowed her head, "Thank you for your wise words, Lord Hokage."

The Third Lord humphed in response and watched her leave. _Still hasn't changed..._

**Konohagakure Clan Compound, West Side...**

Sasuke entered the compound, ignoring the bows from the servants as he passed by. He approached the main house and entered. As he sat down to take his shoes off, a servant approached. "Lord Sasuke, Lady Naomi would like a word with you."

"Where is she?" he asked.

"In her room, sir."

"I'll be there in a second," he said, exhaling tiredly.

Naomi's room was unnecessarily large and extravagant with a large bed meant for at least three people, a spacious lounge area with a TV, and of course a door to the courtyard. Naomi was sitting on the balcony, staring out at the courtyard. Sasuke stepped into her room and noticed the sweet smell in the air. He wrinkled his nose and walked over to her. "What'd you wanna talk to me about?"

"Sit down."

He obeyed, but sighed in annoyance. Naomi held out a thin piece of liquorice to him. "No, thanks. You know I hate sweets."

"It's unsweetened."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, dubious, but took the piece anyway. Naomi took another bite of hers, "Tell me about your day."

"I got assigned to Team 7," he informed, taking a bite. "I got two weaklings with me."

"And they are?"

"Sakura, she's got a keen eye, but she's annoying and weak." He took another bite. "And there's Naruto, the loser in my class."

Naomi blinked, _the Nine-Tails? So then the rumors were true. Iruka must've passed him after the incident with Mizuki. _She pulled another liquorice piece from her bag. "Did you meet your Jonin leader today?"

"Yeah," Sasuke glanced away. "Kakashi Hatake. I can't believe he's a Jonin. He fell for a stupid prank that Naruto set up."

"Kakashi Hatake is a respectable and valuable shinobi of the village. He was a child prodigy, and a former student of the Fourth Hokage. Of all Konohagakure's geniuses, he is by far the best. There's been no one like him since," Naomi retorted, rather blunt like.

Sasuke pouted his lips, "What's so impressive about him?"

"Well, he graduated from the Academy at the age of 5."

Sasuke widened his eyes in shock. _The age of 5?! That man...?! Then, he might be even stronger than... _Naomi noticed Sasuke's frown. "Relax, Sasuke. Kakashi is the best of the best. Be grateful that you've received him as your leader and mentor. There's a lot he can teach you."

"Hm."

Naomi glanced up at the sky, noticing the appearance of several stars. "I suppose it's time to eat dinner," she groaned and got to her feet. "I assume you will be partaking in some sort of test tomorrow."

"Yeah," Sasuke leaned on his palm. "Kakashi said to be at the training grounds at 5 am."

"That early, huh? Well, I don't like waking up before 7, so...Jijo!"

The door swung open and a middle-aged woman stepped inside, "Yes, Milady?"

Naomi returned to her emotionless state, "Set preparations to wake Sasuke up at 3 am. I want him on his way by 4:30, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jijo bowed.

"And ask the chefs to prepare a hearty breakfast," she added.

"Cancel that," Sasuke interjected. "Kakashi said that I _shouldn't _eat breakfast or else I'll get sick...or so he says."

"Very well. Prepare the menu anyway. Sasuke can watch Marise and I eat."

Sasuke frowned in annoyance, _seriously? Why does she always have to do that?_

**Meeting Room, Hokage building, April 16...  
**

Naomi entered the small, windowless room with her companions behind her. Danzo was sitting on the dark green couch with two of his ANBU henchmen sitting behind him. Naomi allowed her companions inside, and sat down on the other couch. "What is it, Danzo? I have other matters to attend to."

"Spying on your ward is hardly a high priority," Danzo taunted. "I will be honest with you, my dear. You are young. You are inexperienced and unworthy to be on the Council."

"As are you."

"Do not mock me!" he warned, glaring intensely at her. "Your arrogance and disrespect has caused me quite enough irritation as it is!"

"I am simply being honest," she stated. "As you know, it is customary for the head of the Daruma Clan to have a position on the Council of the Village. The Hokage is the governor and commander-in-chief. The two Advisers sit at his side to keep up the old-fashioned traditions and create laws. I am merely a neutral party and final decision maker on laws and trials. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial...that is our function. _You_, on the other hand, have only made yourself useful by creating the ANBU and establishing Root."

Danzo narrowed his eye, "It seems _he _has told you many of my secrets."

"No. Since my grandmother's time, we have been wary of you." Naomi folded her arms into her sleeves. "As for my answer...it's no."

"You haven't even heard my offer yet."

"I don't need to. There is nothing you could offer that could sway me, Danzo. My loyalty cannot be bought. If it could, I wouldn't be a very effective judge, now would I?" she asked rhetorically, raising a brow.

"I say you aren't because of your views on me and-"

"My opinion of you is based on personal dislike, not political. I am young. I know that. But I have plenty of experience in the world of government and politics. You should know by now that I will not partake in any notion to usurp the Third Hokage, or movement to force his retirement. Trading one old man for another is ludicrous." Naomi rose to her feet. "This meeting is over. Do not approach me again."

Danzo tightened his grip on his cane as he watched her head towards the door. Naomi paused before approaching it. "Oh, and...if you ever try to use Shisui's abilities on me again, you're going to need another right arm...and eye."

Her male companion opened the door, and they left. Danzo harrumphed and glared at the coffee table. The ANBU henchman leaned over the couch, "Sir, shall we pay a visit to her ward? Send a message?"

"There's no need. No good would come of it," he waved off the henchmen. _As expected, she can even repel genjutsu without the use of her Kekkei Genkai. The sly vixen. _Danzo stood up, leaning on his cane for support. "Let's go."

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**end of chapter 1, hope you liked it**

**please review**


	2. Chunin Exams

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: i do not own the Naruto series (manga or anime)  
**

**Rated T for violence, language, and some sexuality  
**

**Enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**Konohagakure Council Room, June 24...  
**

Naomi sat with her arms folded into her sleeves with her usual expression on her face. "Have the Genin from the other villages arrived, yet?"

"I suspect so," the Third Lord replied. "Besides our village's own entries, the Sand village and the Sound Village has a lot of prospective Genin."

"The Hidden Sound Village...who exactly runs that?" she asked.

"No one really knows. They've only sprung up recently."

Naomi sighed and stood up, "There's no harm in keeping a cautious eye out. Have you sent out the bird?"

"Yes, the Jonin will be assembling soon," the Third Lord stood up as well. "Would you like to accompany me to the meeting?"

"That's very kind, Lord Third, but it's not place to interfere in your affairs."

The Third Hokage took a long drag on his pipe, "Now, now...you are still a Jonin, Naomi. Besides being a Council member, you are apart of the military. I suspect that Kakashi will nominate his team for the Exams...are you not interested in how Sasuke will fair?"

Naomi said nothing. She glanced out the window, seeing a hawk flying around in a specific pattern.

**Back street on the west side...**

Sasuke walked with his hands in his pockets and deep in thought. He glanced up and noticed someone walking by, "Marise?"

Marise stopped and glanced in his direction, "Sasuke? What're you doing here? I thought you were busy with missions?"

"I could say the same to you," he walked over to her. "I wanna ask you something."

"What?"

"I want you to help me hone my skills. I need better practice. These lame missions I've been going on...they're doing nothing for me," he grumbled, irritated.

"Going to the Land of Waves, fighting Zabuza Momochi, and nearly dying...your definition of lame is a bit off, Sasuke," she retorted, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Are you gonna help me or not?"

Marise sighed dramatically and uncrossed her arms, "Alright, fine, since you twisted my arm. I got the afternoon off anyways, so c'mon."

She turned around and motioned for him to follow. Sasuke took a step then froze. He glanced back the way he came, "Wait. Something's wrong."

"Huh?"

"Gimme a second, I'll be right back." He jumped off into the trees.

Marise frowned and pouted her lips. _What's he in such a hurry for? _She glanced down the back street, hearing a commotion. She walked over to the turn and saw two Genin and two Academy kids standing and watching as a tall boy in a black outfit and purple make-up held up another Academy kid by his scarf. The boy's female companion crossed her arms and glanced away. _Sand Genin? Already? I thought the Exams were still a way's off. _

The Sand Genin boy raised his fist and prepared to strike the kid until a pebble shot out, hitting his wrist and forcing him to drop the Academy kid. Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch just above the fence, bouncing a pebble in his hand. "You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league."

"Sasuke!" the pink-haired Konoha Genin squealed.

Marise raised a brow in disbelief, _so he wasn't kidding when he said the girls in his class were stupid. _The Sand Genin rubbed his wrist, "Oh, great. Another wimp to piss me off."

"Get lost," Sasuke warned.

The Sand Genin narrowed his eyes, "Make me, you weakling."

"Weakling, huh?" Sasuke smirked and held tight onto the pebble in his hand. "Maybe that earlier hit wasn't enough of a warning. Let's see if you hear this one."

The Sand Genin growled as Sasuke raised his fist and threw the pebble. Marise appeared and caught the pebble just two feet from the Genin's face. Sasuke, the other Genin, and the Sand Genin all gasped in surprise by her sudden appearance. Marise smiled politely and lowered her hand. "Sorry about that. He's a bit of a hot-head. Though, I think I could say the same about you."

"Who're you?" the Sand Genin demanded, glaring down at her.

Marise kept up her smile, "Relax. There's no need for things to escalate higher. Just forget about this and return to your Jonin."

"Who do you think you are, bossing me around?" he stepped closer, looming a good 11 inches above her.

"Kankuro, just drop it," the female Sand Genin insisted.

"By the looks of you, I'd say you're a good whole year older than me...but, even that won't help you if you push this further because I will kick your ass."

"What'd you say?!"

Marise lowered her smile to a smirk, completely unfazed by the significant difference in height. "You are still a Genin, boy. Your best bet is to tuck your tail between your legs and walk away now."

Kankuro clenched his fist and growled in frustration. He pulled on his giant pack and set it down. His female companion gasped, "You're gonna use the Crow for this?"

Kankuro ignored her, "You're the kind of pesky snot I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up. You're gonna pay for that 'tail' comment."

"I suppose, but...maybe your other squad member has a different opinion." Marise glanced up at the tree.

Sasuke frowned the gasped, sensing someone standing on the other side of the tree. The others followed her gaze and gasped at seeing the red-haired boy standing upside down on the thick branch. Kankuro smiled nervously, "H-hey, Gaara."

"Kankuro...back off," Gaara said in a low, monotonous tone. "You're an embarrassment to our village...challenging a Konoha Chunin like that."

Kankuro widened his eyes in shock, glancing at Marise in disbelief. _That shorty?_ "Have you forgotten the reason we came here?" Gaara asked. "Put it away."

He obeyed. Marise stared at the boy with a giant gourd on his back, _so that's Gaara of the Sand. They weren't kidding when they said he carries evil in his eyes. _Kankuro re-strapped his giant weapon to his back. He held his hands out defensively, "I know. I-I mean, the challenged us. They started the whole thing, really. See, here's what happened-"

"Shut up." Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Or I'll kill you."

"I-I was totally out of line. Sorry, Gaara," Kankuro insisted with a nervous smile.

Gaara glanced over at Sasuke then dispersed into sand, reforming on the ground in-between Kankuro and Marise. He faced her, despite being short himself, even he was taller than her. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused."

"It's fine," Marise said, returning to her polite smile. "I see no reason to report this. It's an exciting time after all."

"Thank you," he nodded his head and turned to his squad members. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games."

"Sure, I get it," Kankuro squeaked.

They turned to leave. Sakura ran forward, pushing past Marise. "Hey, wait! Hey!"

"What?" the female Sand Genin asked.

"I can tell from your headband...that you come from the Village Hidden in the Sand." Sakura frowned with confidence and determination. "Of course the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind are allies...but no shinobi can enter another village without permission. So state your purpose and it better be-"

Marise grabbed Sakura by her shoulder and pulled her back, "Shut up, girl. Obviously, if I didn't arrest them, then they have permission to be here. As skilled as they are or might be, Genin aren't skilled enough to sneak into the village what with all our methods of defense."

Sakura shook herself free, "But they need a purpose for being here. Shinobi from other villages can't-"

"If I haven't arrested them, then they have permission _and _purpose for being here," Marise frowned in annoyance. "Are you sure you're not mentally disabled?"

"Uh," Sakura froze, unable to think of response.

"Why are they here?" Sasuke asked, still sitting in the tree.

"For the Chunin Exams, of course," the female Sand Genin responded, blushing.

"Chunin Exams?" Naruto tiled his head. "I've never heard of any Chunin Exams, believe it."

"Yeah, I believe it. That you're totally clueless."

"Excuse the obliviousness of our Rookie Genin," Marise waved her hand dismissively. "They haven't been properly informed."

Gaara turned around and continued on walking with his squad. Marise placed a hand on her hip, _sheesh, what a piece of work...all three of them. If this is what we have to look forward to in the Exams...I can't wait until the Third Exam. _

Sasuke hopped down, landing next to Marise. "Hey, you, identify yourself!"

The female Sand Genin whisked around, "You mean me?"

"No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back," Sasuke pointed.

Gaara stopped and glanced at them over his shoulder, "My name is Gaara of the Sand. I'm curious about you, too. Who are you?"

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

Gaara narrowed his eyes as Sasuke smirked, deeply intrigued. Marise raised a brow, _ugh, rookies. _Naruto stepped forward with a smile, "Hi, you wanna know my name?!"

"I couldn't care less." Gaara turned around and jumped away with his squad.

"Well, that was fun," Marise sighed dramatically. "Shall we, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was still smirking. He motioned to walk away with her, "Yeah. Let's go."

"Hold on! Just who the heck are you?!" Sakura demanded, pointing her finger at Marise. _How can someone so beauti-I mean, so ugly be so familiar with my Sasuke?! _

"Uh, do I know you?" Marise asked, raising a brow. "Sasuke, who is this fool?"

"My teammate."

"Really? Well, glad I'm not you," she shrugged and walked past Sakura.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, shorty! How do you know Sasuke?! Why're you so familiar with him?!"

"Sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. What was that?" Marise smirked at Sakura's boiling anger. "Girl, you're pompous and annoying...traits that usually get damsels-in-distress like you killed. At this rate, you probably won't even pass the Chunin Exams."

Sakura gasped, obviously hurt. She clenched her fists and snarled in anger, "Why, you...!"

Sasuke stepped in-between them, glaring straight into Sakura's eyes. "Back off."

"S...Sasuke," Sakura trembled in disbelief. "B-but..."

"Hey!" Naruto interjected. "You can't talk to her-"

"Shut up, loser. You don't know anything," Sasuke turned a cold shoulder to Naruto. "Let's go, Marise."

_Why do I feel like I've suddenly been thrusted into the whole Sasuke Fan Club nonsense, _Marise frowned at Sakura, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the girl's severely depressed expression. "The only way a kunoichi can make it in a man's world...is by proving that she's stronger then they are in every way that she can."

Sakura gasped and glanced up, moved by her words. Marise turned away then glanced to the side, sensing the presence of three ninja in the trees. Naruto was growling at Sasuke who refused to even acknowledge him, and Sakura was still dewy-eyed over Marise's words. Marise closed her eyes then opened them. She was now standing on a tree branch above three kids who were definitely her age. She noticed their headbands immediately, _Sound Genin...interesting._

"What do you think, Dosu?" the spiky-haired boy asked.

"The usual weaklings. Nothing special," said the boy with his face almost entirely wrapped in bandages. "But the one from the Uchiha Clan and that sand rat...we should definitely watch them...carefully."

"Oh, yeah. I totally agree."

The three Sound Genin gasped and rose to their feet, facing Marise. The spiky-haired boy got into a battle position, "Who do you think you are, sneaking up on us like that, huh?!"

"Well, I am a shinobi of the Leaf Village," Marise said with a "isn't it obvious" tone. "I'm well within my right to be sneaky all I want. You three, however, have no business sneaking around. Return to your accommodations, or find some if you haven't any. Or, shall I escort you myself?"

"Why, you-"

"Zaku, don't." Dosu bowed his head. "Forgive us, we're...just curious about the competition. We won't let it happen again."

Marise nodded and the three Genin hopped away. She sighed and returned to the others. Sasuke and Naruto tore away from their bickering. Naruto glanced around, pointing to the spot where she was standing moments earlier, "Uh...weren't you...now you're...how'd you do that?!"

"Giving warnings to pesky children isn't my only talent," she beamed politely at Naruto and patted his head.

"Can we go now?" Sasuke grumbled, walking away. Marise rolled her eyes and followed. Sakura furred her brows as she watched the two of them walk away, _she...doesn't seem interested in him. They way they act...it's like their brother and sister, but...that doesn't make sense. Sasuke's the only Uchiha left. Did some survive? _She blinked, noticing Marise's bare feet. _What? _

**Jonin Meeting Room...**

The Third Hokage sat at his desk with the Jonin squad leaders gathered in front of him. "I have summoned you for a very important purpose," he stated, blowing smoke from his mouth. "Seeing your fellow Jonin here, I'm sure you know what this is about."

"So soon? I thought we had a bit more time," Kakashi said.

"I take it the other lands have been notified about the coming event," Asuma Sarutobi spoke up, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. "I noticed that some of their Genin have already arrived in the village."

"And?" Kurenai Yuhi interjected. "When do we start?"

"We will begin in one week."

"That's pretty short notice," Nanami noted.

The Third Hokage blew out a big whiff of smoke and sighed, "Take heed. Exactly seven days from today, on the first day of July, the Genin will be gathered and tested. Only the very best will be selected as Chunin. Now, it's time we choose our candidates for the Chunin Examinations. To be begin, will those in-charge of the rookie Genin step forward."

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma stepped forward. "Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma...what do you say? Are there any in your squads you'd recommend are ready for the exams despite their inexperience. As you know, any Genin who has carried out 8 or more missions is technically eligible for the examinations. Beyond that, only you can decide when they are ready. Of course, most Genin require a much longer training period. At least twice that many missions."

"There's no need to rush," Iruka whispered. "It's too soon."

"Why?" asked the woman standing next to them. Iruka glanced at her, slightly blushing. She was a splitting image of Kurenai, almost like an identical twin. She wore the standard flak jacket with dark blue pants and ninja shoes with bandages wrapped around her ankles and lower calves. Like Kurenai, she wore a mesh undershirt with only one sleeve, but her's was white and on her left side. She also had a sturdy brown belt which held two empty sword holders on each hip. Her untamed black hair was slightly longer than Kurenai's, but her crimson eyes were just as deadly. "You think the rookie's don't have what it takes? I thought you mentored them in the Academy?"

"I did, but..."

"Kakashi," the Third Hokage said. "You begin."

"I lead Squad 7," Kakashi informed. "Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno...I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend all three of these Genin for the Chunin Selection Exams."

Iruka gasped in shock.

"And my Squad is number 8," Kurenai stated. "Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and now, I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend all three."

"And my Squad is number 10," Asuma said with a faint smirk. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and now, I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three."

The Jonin erupted into gossips and whispers. Iruka stepped forward, "Hold on just a minute!"

"Yes?" the Third Hokage raised a brow. "What is it, Iruka?"

"Lord Hokage, with all respect, the nine names that were just given were all my students at the Academy. I know they're skills and they're abilities. Every one of them has great promise, but it's too soon. They need more experience before they're tested. If they try now, they're sure to fail!" Iruka insisted.

"When I became a Chunin, I was 6 years younger than Naruto is now," Kakashi reminded.

"Naruto is nothing like you!" Iruka snapped. "Are you trying to destroy him?"

"Well, they're always complaining about not being challenged enough," Kakashi shrugged. "Maybe wiping out on the Exams will teach them a lesson. A little pain is good."

"What did you say?!"

"Iruka, calm down," the woman said, crossing her arms under her chest. "You're in no position to protest the recommendations of those rookie Genin."

"Of course I am, Karina!" he retorted. "You should know better than anyone why this isn't a good idea. You held your squad back a year!"

"Yeah, because _I _said that they weren't ready. Now, they are," Karina lowered her hands to her hips. "If Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma see these rookies fit for the Exams, then they are."

"Alright, Karina, back off," Kurenai interjected. "You've said enough."

"No, Kurenai. Iruka needs to realize that these kids are not his students anymore. He has no say in this."

Iruka clenched his fist, glaring at Karina with anger. Asuma rolled his eyes, bored. Kurenai sighed, "Fine."

Nanami crossed her arms, frowning at the whole situation. _Stupid Iruka, always blowing things out of proportion. Still...it is unheard of, rookie Genin recommendations. It's been five years since then. I'm actually surprised Kakashi went through with it. I was certain he'd wait. Guess he would know better than I would..._

"Hm, rookie Genin. Should be fun."

Nanami glanced at the woman standing next to her, "Seriously, Anko? You're excited?"

"Hell yeah. I wanna so what those kids of Kakashi are made of," she giggled disturbingly with glee. Nanami made a face, _great._

**Isolated Training Ground, South Side, June 30...**

Sasuke panted heavily. He was leaning on his knees, trying to keep himself up. He glared at Marise who stood several yards across from him, unscathed. Sasuke gritted his teeth, _damn it. Not a scratch! _

"Wanna try again?" she asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke stood up straight and wiped the sweat from his eyes.

"Okay."

Marise closed her eyes. Sasuke got into a battle position. He carefully reached into his holster and pulled out two shuriken. He tossed them then ran to the right. Marise dropped into a crouch with her leg out, and the shuriken passed over her. Sasuke squatted and tossed two more. Marise hopped back, sliding on the grass to cease her momentum. Sasuke made it behind her and threw another two. Again, she dodged. He hopped up onto a tree and threw the last two at her right side. Marise didn't move. Only when the shuriken were two feet away did she turn around to dodge them.

_She was slower that time...why? _Sasuke hopped back down to the ground and threw a kunai knife.

Marise grabbed the kunai by it's handle and threw it right back. Sasuke jumped back into the tree to avoid it. _There was no hesitation there...so, whats the difference? _

He watched carefully. Marise waited then finally stood up. She tapped the ground with her bare foot then turned her head in Sasuke's general direction. _She's not facing directly at me...but she's got an idea of where I am. Okay, I pretty much figured out how her "sixth sense" works. _

Sasuke jumped through the trees, staying as quiet as he circled back around to her left side and grabbed a tree branch, and aimed his kunai low. He pulled his arm back then threw it. Marise wasn't moving. _It's gonna make it!_

Marise turned towards her left and the kunai bounced off her forehead protector. Sasuke's eyes widened, _what?! How could she...?!_

Marise opened her eyes, blinking in surprise. "Uh...that was unexpected."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, _she didn't sense it all...at least, not in time. She deflected it by pure luck! Damn it!_

Marise picked up the kunai and stood up, _damn, that was lucky. Naomi would have my hide for not sensing it in time. To be able to test the limits of my sixth sense by jumping through the trees and throwing shuriken from all around...even elite shinobi have difficulty figuring out how the sense works. Trees makes it take longer to pinpoint an enemy's location. By following the rhythmic vibrations of Sasuke's movement, I calculated that he would pass by my left side...so I turned. _She flipped the kunai in her hand. _Sasuke really does live up to his reputation. Maybe he does have a chance._

A small bird landed on her shoulder and chirped. Marise noticed the little ribbon tied around the bird's ankle. _Seriously?! _"Alright, I'm coming," she grumbled at the bird. "Hey, Sasuke, I gotta go!"

Sasuke hopped down from the trees, "Where're you going? You said we'd start ninjutsu after I figured out your sixth sense."

"Yeah, I did say that," she nodded then pointed to the bird on her shoulder. "But I've been summoned. Got a mission. Sorry, Sasuke. We can continue after I finish my mission."

"The Exams'll be over by then."

"No," she shook her head. "Look, I'm a Chunin, they don't send Chunin on many far off missions that often. So, relax, would you?"

Sasuke harrumphed as he watched Marise walk away. The bird flew on ahead, and Marise pondered. _Naomi said Sasuke had a lot of potential and that she was training him just so that he'd graduate with the other kids his age...but if she trained him outright, he could've been a greater prodigy than Itachi._

* * *

**end of chapter 2  
**

**please review  
**


	3. The Written Test

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: i do not own the Naruto series and/or anime  
**

**Rated T for violence, language, and some sexuality  
**

**Enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**Academy, July 1...**

Karina Yuhi leaned against the tree with the swing. She had her arms crossed and was deep in thought. She glanced up, noticing her Genin team arriving. "Well, well...you did come."

"Why wouldn't we? We've waited a whole year for this. "

"Come on, Misa," Karina smirked. Misa was the shortest of the three at four-ten. She had straight, braided, violet-black hair that rested on her left shoulder with her bangs swept aside to frame the right side of her face. Her porcelain-fair skin shined in the sunlight. She wore a jade green kimono dress that went down to her knees with a dark green sash on her waist, and a mesh under-shirt. The dress had a split on the right side for her holster, she also wore flat open-toed sandals, and wore her headband around her neck. But the one thing that stood out about her, was her piercing, icy blue eyes.

"Can you blame her for being grumpy? She was the only one who was actually excited about the Chunin Exams last year."

"Kain, stop lying," Misa scolded. Kain was the tallest of three at five-one. His messy brown hair was spiked upwards because of his headband. He wore black pants, and black jacket with yellow stripes running down his left side. He frowned at Misa, "I wasn't lying."

"You totally were. Can you be anymore of an annoying prick?"

"Toga," Karina scolded. Toga was the one in the middle, standing at five-foot even. Karina frowned at Toga's outfit, disliking the brown pants, grey sleeveless hoodie, and sky blue shirt underneath. "Is...that what you're wearing?"

"Why not?" Toga asked, furring her eyebrows.

"Well, it clashing with your hair and pink eyes."

"No, it doesn't!" Toga ruffled her spiky, dark magenta hair. "I look fine!"

"Whatever," Karina held her hands up defensively. "Anyways...so you've all decided to enter, huh?"

"Yes," Misa answered. "We'll come out on top. You'll see."

"As long as you survive the whole thing...that's good enough for me." Karina beamed a happy smile and patted Misa's head. "Alright, go on. And do your best."

"Yeah, yeah," Kain sighed and turned to lead the team away. Karina watched as the kids entered the building. Her smile fell and she sighed, _good luck._

**Stairs inside the Academy...**

Karina's three Genin stepped out, and Kain motioned to enter the hallway, but Misa stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, the meeting room," he pointed to the hallway.

"This is the second floor, idiot." She pointed to the sign next to the entrance. Kain furred his brows in confusion. "It's a genjutsu. You need to be more aware if you wanna make it through these exams, Kain. Otherwise, you might as well drop out no-"

A blur of pink and red bounced off Misa who was unaffected by the collision. Sakura fell back on her butt. Naruto gasped in surprise, "Sakura!"

Misa frowned down at Sakura, "Excuse you."

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you. It was an accident," Sakura replied politely, standing back up.

"Hmph. You're lucky I'm in a decent mood today," Misa warned and turned to continue up the stairs with her teammates.

"Hey," Sasuke called. "She apologized. The least you could do is excuse her politely."

"What's it to you?" Misa narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me...you three are rookies, aren't you?"

"So what if we are?" Sasuke smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Does that fact frightened you a little? Rookies entering the exams?"

"Not really. The way I heard it, your teacher simply wants to teach you a lesson by letting you wipe out in the exams," she teased, her icy glare intensifying. "But don't worry. Everyone's laughter should drown out the feeling of disappointment when you fail."

"You talk big for someone who's never passed the exams before."

"This is our first time," she informed, relaxing her glare. "Do not judge us based on appearances alone. It'd be a terrible mistake to make."

"Quite the hypocrite, aren't you?" Sasuke teased. His smirk grew as she gave no reply, simply staring expressionlessly. "What's your name anyway?"

"Misa Kuran," she replied. "And you?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

Toga and Kain exchanged glances. Misa remained unfazed, _so this is the number one of his year...hmph, he doesn't even look as half as strong as Neji...he's probably even no match for Kain. _

"Hey! What about me?!" Naruto interjected.

"Shut up, shorty." Misa turned away and motioned for her teammates to follow, "See you inside, Uchiha."

Sasuke watched them leave, still smirking excitedly. He blinked upon noticing the clan symbol on Misa's back, nine orchid flowers on a vine. He narrowed his eyes at the image, _where've I seen that before...?_

Kain quickened his pace to walk side-by-side with Misa. "What was that about? It's not like you acknowledge anyone like that."

Misa gave a side-smile, "Why not indulge a little?"

Kain blinked, _I thought she was moody. She's just excited. Man, this the most I've seen of her emotions. _He snorted, _well, maybe Master Karina was right, __this year...will definitely be interesting. _

**Room 301...**

Misa, Kain, and Toga followed a squad of Grass Genin into the room. Misa ignored the judgmental stares from the other ninja, all of them trying to intimidate and analyze each other. Kain glanced towards the middle, "Is that...Tenten?"

Tenten, a girl with two buns on her head, noticed him as well, "Hey, Kain! Long time no see."

"Yeah."

Kain walked over to sit with her and her teammates, Misa and Toga followed. Misa met Neji's gaze, "Still half-mummy, I see."

"Still cold-hearted, I see," he threw right back, smirking. "Karina actually let the three of you enter?"

"Hey, she says we're ready, and we are," Toga insisted, plopping down next to Tenten. "If you're scared, you can just quit, you know?"

"As if we would," Lee retorted. "Master Guy also says we're ready."

Misa ignored Toga and Lee as they began a passionate disagreement while Tenten and Kain looked on. She leaned in closer to Neji, "Did you get a chance to see that Uchiha kid?"

"Yeah. He seems promising." Neji placed his elbow on the desk. "I'm actually curious about him. I wonder how he'll fair."

"He doesn't look like much," she stated. "He's probably all talk."

"You say that now, but...you know your predictions about people are never right."

She frowned at him in annoyance, "Fine, I say...you'll flunk the Exams entirely and I won't. How's that?"

Neji snickered. Kain sighed and leaned on his palm, "It's 3 o'clock...everyone's here right?"

"I think so," Tenten answered.

The doors opened. Everyone glanced to the front as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura entered the room, the last ones to arrive. The room grew quiet as three Genin suddenly found themselves having everyone's attention. Ino Yamanaka jumped onto Sasuke's back and began cooing over him. Kain raised a brow and glanced at Misa, "I will admit...that kid's got better looks than me, so how come you're not all over him?"

This caught Tenten's attention. Misa folded her arms under her chest, "I'm not attracted to looks, you know that. Why are you asking _me _this? You should be talking to Toga."

"I'm not interested either," Toga harrumphed. "Rookie Genin? Please, they're in way over their heads."

"Looks like someone's going to talk to them," Neji nodded to the gray-haired young man in purple.

"Isn't that Kabuto Yakushi? The one who's never passed?" Toga asked.

"Yeah, it is." Misa narrowed her eyes as Kabuto approached the nine rookies. "He's still too soft."

"Honestly, that kinda behavior is exactly what keeps him from passing. It's his, what, fourth try?"

"Seventh, I think," Kain answered Tenten. "My uncle says he usually doesn't make it past the Second Exam. If he does, then he quits. That's how he's always been."

"Pathetic," Neji snorted.

"At any rate, the like-"

A loud roar echoed through the room. Everyone turned back to the nine rookies, seeing Naruto standing with his finger pointed at them. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm gonna beat everyone of you! Believe it!" He put his hands behind his head and beamed, "Yeah! I feel a lot better now."

"What a jerk," Tenten huffed.

"That shorty is starting to get on my nerves," Toga grumbled, tapping her fingers on the desk.

"Certainly hasn't lot any of his spunk," Neji noted.

"Ugh. With this much excitement, we don't have to worry about killing him," Kain sighed. "Everyone else probably wants to do it."

"He has passion," Lee said.

Misa stared at the blond-haired loud-mouth, _hm...he's not just cocky, he's sure of himself. Hmph. That jerk might just be worth some attention after all. _

"Uh, could say that again a little louder?" Kiba asked, hiding his smirk. "Didn't quite catch that."

Sakura pulled Naruto into a choke-hold. She started griping as he struggled to breathe. She noticed everyone staring and smiled politely. "Oh, hi, everyone. Don't mind him. Sometimes he says these spazy things. He doesn't really mean them. They just kinda come out. He's got this condition, you know. It's kinda of a psychological thing. He should really be on medication." She let him go and continued on her griping. "Now, you see what you've done? You hurt everyone's feelings! They think you don't respect them, but that isn't true, is it, Naruto?"

Misa narrowed her eyes and shoved Kain back against the seat. He was about to protest when someone stepped on the desk and whisked away. Kabuto glanced up as Zaku jumped into the air, throwing two kunai knives at him. Dosu sprang up right in front of him and aimed his fist at his head. Kabuto jumped back in time to dodge it. He smirked then gasped as his glasses shattered.

"What?" Toga frowned. "How'd that happen? He dodged it."

"It was more than that," Kain said, uncovering his ears. "I'm not surprised you couldn't _hear _his attack."

Kabuto suddenly fell to his knees and vomited, blood dripping down from his ears. Misa placed her hand on Kain's shoulder, "Remember him...your abilities will definitely be useful against those three."

"Got it."

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke erupted in the back of the room. "Alright, you baby-faced degerents! Pipe down and listen up!"

Kain suddenly went ice-cold, and began to shake with fear. "Oh, no...don't tell me he's...doing it again this year."

A tall, intimidating man with a black cloak and a bandanna instead of a headband, stood in front of several Chunin, all wearing the same gray outfits. The tall man had a scary face with a scar on his left cheek and another right under his left eye. Misa blinked in surprise, "Huh? Kain, I thought you said your uncle was retiring from Chunin Exam duties."

"I thought so, too," he grumbled, leaning on the desk in despair.

"It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your Proctor," the man informed the Genin. "And from this moment on, your worst enemy."

Ibiki frowned then pointed towards the back of the room, "First, you from the Village Hidden in the Sound, knock it off! Who told you you could fight? You wanna fail before we'd even begun?"

"Sorry," Dosu said, backing off from Kabuto. "It's our first time. Guess we're a little jumpy...sir."

Ibiki smirked then frowned, turning his attention to the whole room. "I only say this once, so listen up! There will be no combat between candidates. No attacking each other without the permission of your Proctor. And even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately, got it?"

"No fatal force?" Zaku asked, smirking. "That's no fun."

"Now, if we're ready," Ibiki said, ignoring Zaku's comment, "we'll proceed to the first sage of the Chunin Exams. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number. This number will determine where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated."

**Hokage Office...**

"Here's your mission," the Third Lord handed over the paper.

Marise took it with a bow, "Thank you. Um, Lord Third...do you know how the Exams are going right now?"

"Unfortunately, no. But do not fret. I'm sure Sasuke is fine," he assured her.

"Forgive me, I can't help but wonder how Sasuke and his team will do with Ibiki as their Proctor," she smiled nervously.

"Well, surely you remember...Ibiki will help push them to excel."

"Actually, I never took the Exams, remember?" Marise relaxed her smile. "I was promoted a year after graduating."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," the Third Lord chuckled, blowing puffs of smoke. "You're a prodigy...just like your sister."

**Academy...**

The Chunin observers surrounded the Genin. They all sat on individual chairs all around the room while the Genin were slit up and divided amongst the rows of desks, while Ibiki stood at the front. The tests were given out, faced down, along with pencils and an extra eraser. Misa sat in the back next to Ino, Toga was next to the female Sand Genin, Temari, and Kain was sitting directly in front of Sasuke Uchiha. _Oh, great...separated. This is just perfect. _He casually glanced around the room. _I see Toga...Misa must be somewhere in the back. Well...__even in this big of a room, they should be able to hear me._

"Everyone, eyes front!" Ibiki ordered, tapping the board with a his chalk. "There are a few rules you need to be aware of. And I won't answer any questions, so you better pay attention the first time around!"

_As usual...he's so demanding, _Kain groaned.

"Alright, rule number one is this," Ibiki began as he wrote out the rules on the board, "the written part of the exam is conducted on a point-reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to...you all begin the test with a perfect score of ten points. If you miss a question, one point will be deducted. So if you miss three, your final score will be seven. Rule number two; teams will pass or fail based on the total scores of all three members."

The Genin collectively gasped. Misa tapped her finger on her fist, _that shouldn't be too bad..._

Sakura slammed her head down on her desk then jolted back up, "What?! What a second! We all get scored as a team?!"

"Silence!" Ibiki bellowed. "I have my reasons...so shut up and listen. Rule number three; the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating. And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points form the culprit's score. Be warned...their eyes are extremely sharp, and if they catch you five times, you'll be dismissed before the test is even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here."

Toga frowned, deep in thought, _fool enough to get caught, huh...could you be any more obvious? This will be a piece of cake. _

"If you wanna be considered shinobi, then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be," Ibiki said, smiling. "One more thing...if any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails. The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour total. Begin!"

The Genin flipped their tests over and furiously began their tests. Kain read through the questions, _alright...as expected, these questions are extremely difficult. A code, advanced algebra, geography...all of it is just nonsense. The same stuff we barely learned to do in the Academy, just a good ten times more advanced. It's at times like these that I'm glad I have a photographic memory. __  
_

He wrote his name and began deciphering the code on the first question. As he continued on, getting down to the fifth question, he noticed something. Directly behind him, he could hear Sasuke writing as well. Kain continued answering, comparing his writing stroke sounds to Sasuke's. He finished the sentence and made a small circle instead of a period. He heard Sasuke do the same. _That can't be a coincidence...if he has his Sharingan like all Uchiha do, then he's copying my movements. Simply writing down my own answers in my own words and handwriting. Hmph. I'm not that easily fooled. _He went to the sixth question and wrote something down.

Sasuke frowned, _...why'd he suddenly stop, then write, then stop again? I thought for sure he had the answers. _He glanced down at his paper and realized what he had written: "if you think you can cheat off me with a stupid trick like that...then you've got another thing coming."

Sasuke blinked in surprise, _what?! He knew I was copying off him? How the hell did he...?! No, he's still writing! Gotta get it down! _Sasuke furiously copied Kain's movements as he finished the ninth question. Sasuke smirked then glanced down at his paper, realizing that he had coped an ugly smiley face with it's tongue sticking out and the word "loser" written above it. Sasuke smirked, _this guy...he's good._

Kain licked his lips and made a whistling motion, only no sound came out. Misa reached up to her ear, fiddling with the hearing aid. She inconspicuously changed the receiver, picking up Kain's whistling. She could make out the sounds he was making as Morse code. She wrote down the answers and glanced towards Toga, seeing her doing the same.

"WHOA!"

A Leaf Genin sprung away from his desk, trembling at the sight of the kunai embedded in his test. He stood up, "What was that all about?"

"Five strikes and you're out," the sentinel smirked. "You failed the test."

"What?! It can't be!"

"You and your teammates will leave the room immediately."

Two other Leaf Genin stood up, both with disappointed looks. The sentinel sat down, "Candidate number 23: fail. Number 27 and 43: fail!"

Toga watched as the sentinels began calling out numbers after numbers, dragging some of the Genin out by their hair or simply throwing them out. _Hmph. These older guys...they've been doing these tests so long they still haven't figured out how to get around the sentinels. Pathetic. Huh? _She glanced up, noticing the mirrors on the ceiling. They creaked slightly as they did, reflecting parts of the room, including some of the other Genin and their tests. _If I can see that then some of the sentinels definitely should be able to see it, right? Or is simply direct cheating? Well, I got all the answers thanks to Kain, so...now all we can do is wait._

"Alright," Ibiki called out. "Listen up! Here's the tenth and final question. But before I give you the question...there are some more rules that you need to be aware of."

Suddenly, the front door opened. Kankuro stepped into the room with a sentinel behind him. "Huh?"

Ibiki smiled mischievously, "Made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom enlightening. Well? Take your seat."

_Jeez, could he be any more of a terrible jokester, _Kain groaned, leaning on his palm.

"These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you," Ibiki took a step towards the Genin. "Very well, then. Rule number one; each of you is free to chose not to be given the final question. It's your decision."

"Whoa, what's the catch?!" Temari shouted out. "Let's say we don't want it, what happens then?"

"If you chose not to take the tenth question, regardless of the other nine...you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. And that means, of course, both your teammates fail as well."

_Chose? Of course everyone's gonna chose to take the question rather than fail, _Misa narrowed her eyes. _What's he up to?_

"Not so fast," Ibiki warned those who were agreeing to take the question. "You didn't let me finish. If you do accept the question, but answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail...you will be barred from taking the Chunin Exams ever again!"

"Hey, that's bull, man!" Kiba jolted to his feet. "That's ridiculous! What kinda bogus rule is that?! There's lots of people here who've taken the test before!"

Ibiki smirked and chuckled at Kiba's outburst, "I guess you're just...unlucky. I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course, if you don't wanna take it, you don't have to. If you're not feeling confident, by all means, skip it. You can come back and try again next year."

_No...there's no point in quitting, _Kain thought, _all three of us resolved to see this through. We can't give up now. _

"Now, then if you're ready...the tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."

"I'm sorry," a Genin next to Naruto raised his hand. "I can't do it. I'm out."

"Number 50: fail. Number 130, number 110...that means you're out, too."

Misa's eyes followed as Genin after Genin raised their hands and left with their teammates. She noticed that Neji and his team were still around. _What? None of the Rookies? I thought for sure that one of them would..._

Naruto slowly raised his hand in the air. He stretched his arm up higher then slammed it down on the desk. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want! You guys aren't gonna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!"

Misa stared at Naruto's back, still taken by surprised. Toga smiled at Naruto from across the room, _well, he's got guts. I'll give him that. _

"This decision could change your life," Ibiki warned. "If for any reason, you'd rather quit...now's your last chance."

"No way, I never go back on my word," Naruto replied, smirking. "That's the ninja way."

Ibiki glanced at his sentinels who gave him a silent nod. He nodded back and turned to the Genin. "Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you...that you all have passed the First Exam."

Kain widened his eyes, _what?! I did all that cram studying last night...for nothing?! Grrr, damn you, Uncle!_

Sakura stood up again, "What?! What do you mean we pass? Where's the tenth question?!"

"There never was one," Ibiki beamed, laughing. "Not a written one, at least. Actually, your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second!" Temari snarled from across the room. "So the other nine questions you gave us! They were just a waste of time?! Is that what you're saying?!"

"No, no, not at all," Ibiki waved off her anger. "Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had a perfect overriding purpose. To test your ability to surreptitiously gather strategic intelligence under the most advert circumstances."

"Uh..."

"He wanted us to cheat and not get caught," Kain blurted.

"Exactly," Ibiki nodded, glaring at his nephew. "Let me explain further...my objective was to see was to test you not only as individuals, but as a team and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. So that you'd know that everything you did or failed to do would directly affect your teammates. A test to see how you'd handle the pressure."

_Again, obvious, _Toga made a "tsk" sound.

"The first nine questions on the test were difficult. In fact, as you may have realized, too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve. I imagine that most of you quickly came to that conclusion. That you had to cheat if you had any chance of passing."

_That's what I just said, _Kain made a face at his Uncle who ignored him.

"The fact is, the test was designed to encourage cheating. It almost demanded it," Ibiki continued. "Of course it would have done you little good unless you had someone to cheat from. So I disguised two Chunin who already knew the answers and had them sit in with you."

Naruto screamed and grabbed his head. Several people started whispering about him. Misa perked her ears up as she heard Ino mumbling, "Stupid idiot."

"I wasn't fooled for a second!" Naruto exclaimed. "You'd have to be a complete doofuss not to notice, right, Hinata?"

_Amazing...that kid was totally clueless and he still hasn't quit? How'd he ever pass the Academy Test? _Misa frowned with disdain.

"Those who were caught at it failed. Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." He reached back and untied his bandanna, revealing his severely scarred, battle-worn, bald head. "Information...can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can determine whether a mission's a failure or success. There'll be times you'll have to risk your life to get it."

He retied his bandanna back on, "Of course, you must always consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind: dis-information can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in a position where you had to gather information, cheat, in order to survive. And that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded out...leaving the rest of you."

"Okay. But I'm still not getting the point of the tenth question," Temari said.

"You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely you see that."

"Of course we-"

"Sure!" Sakura shouted over Kain. "But explain it anyway."

Kain narrowed his glare at the pink-haired girl, _damn her...when Uncle gets dead set on teaching a lesson, his lectures go on and on and on and on and on...gah! First chance I get, I'm definitely gonna put a dent in the huge forehead of hers. _

Misa blinked, noticing Kain's intense glares at Sakura, _he's upset? With that scrawny thing? _

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals but as part of a squad. The final question gave you two choices. Both difficult. You could choose to play it safe and skip the question, though it meant both you and your teammates would be failed. Or you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong, you would lose your chance at ever being Chunin. It was a no-win situation." Ibiki paused to smile. "As for the rest of you, you have successfully answered the ten questions I put to you. You have earned the right to continue on to the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this part of the Chunin Selection Exam completed."

Kain groaned and fell on top of his desk in relief, _finally!_

"There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

"Alright we did it! That's one down!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. Misa couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. She frowned and diverted her attention the the windows just as the glass shattered and a ball of maroon cloth came in. Four kunai knives were thrown at both the floor and the ceiling, and the fabric unraveled, revealing a woman hiding within.

"Heads up boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating!" The words on the fabric read: "Here Comes the Second Proctor: Anko Mitarashi." Anko thrusted her arm out, "I'll be your next Proctor, Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test?"

She pumped her fist into the air, "Good! Then let's go! Follow me!"

The room grew quiet. Ibiki peeked around the fabric. "You're early...again."

Anko lowered her arm and scanned the room, frowning, "How many are there? Ibiki, you let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy. You must be getting soft!"

"Or it could be...a stronger crop of candidates this year."

Anko placed her hands on her hips, "Hm. They sure don't look it. Trust me, before I'm done with them, more than half of them will be eliminated. Alright, you maggots had it easy so far, but things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning! I'll let your squad leaders know where to meet me. Dismissed."

**Daruma Clan Compound, Naomi's Room...**

Sasuke closed the door behind him then wobbled in. He went straight to the bed and plopped onto it, face down. Naomi glanced back at him from where sat, overlooking the courtyard with her back of liquorice. "Rough day?"

"Mmmm mmm mm."

"I can't understand you."

Sasuke lifted his head up, "I said, you have no idea."

"Really? I thought the First Exam would be a breeze for you," she said, smiling.

"Not when you have Naruto for a teammate...he managed to pass without answering a single question on the test." Sasuke got up and sat cross-legged.

Naomi blinked in surprise, _without answering a single question? Was that boy that confident about passing through the exam? Wow. He's more clever than I thought._

"Naomi?"

"Hm?" she glanced back at him with her mouth full of liquorice.

Sasuke sat down next to her. "Kakashi told me you were asking about me. He says you're worried. You don't think I can do this?"

Naomi sighed and finished chewing the liquorice in her mouth. "Sasuke, you know what this is between us? How you and I act like ourselves around each other? Just each other? When others are around, you don't show me affection nor do I you...at least, not to the extent of when we're alone."

"Yeah, I know. So, what're you saying?"

She glanced up, seeing the sky as a blur of dark blue and orange colors. "I care about you, Sasuke. I want you to succeed in life. I want to see you become a strong, splendid, and powerful shinobi. Those wants...have stemmed from the love I have developed for you. I know I am not Mikoto. There could never be a replacement for your beautiful mother. As your..._adoptive_ mother, I can't help but worry about you."

"I can take care of myself, you know that."

Naomi smirked, "You're still young. You haven't truly lived. One day, you'll understand why I worry so much."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"I already did. You're just no comprehending it," she gave him an annoyed glance. "Plus, I think I'm sugar-coating it. Ah, no matter. Sasuke, this one argument you will never win. I will continued to worry about you, and you can continue to stubbornly pout."

Sasuke pouted his lips and Naomi laughed. "Get used it. A man so rarely wins an argument against a woman. And boys never win." She placed her hand on his head and gave him a sweet smile. "Besides, I believe that you will pass the exam with flying colors."

Sasuke blinked, and recomposed his cool self. He turned away, hiding his blush. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

**end of chapter**

**please review  
**


	4. The Forest of Death

**chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: i do not own the Naruto series and/or anime  
**

**Rated T for violence, language, and some sexuality  
**

**Enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**Forty-Fourth Training Ground, July 2...  
**

"What is that?"

Misa, Toga, and Kain stood with the other Genin in front of the entrance to the huge, fenced-in forest. Kain made a face at the eerie feeling, "This place is creepy."

"Of course it is," Anko said, standing with her own sentinels. "They call it the Forest of Death, and soon enough you're gonna find out why."

Naruto stepped forward and started shaking his hips about in a mocking way, mimicking Anko's voice, "'They call it the Forest of Death and soon enough you'll find out why'. Do your worst! You're not gonna scare me away! I can handle anything!"

"So, it looks like we got a tough guy." Anko slipped a kunai out from her sleeve and threw it at Naruto, causing it to nick his cheek. She appeared directly behind him, gently grabbing his face to turn his bleeding cut towards her. She smiled as she whispered in his ear and licked his blood.

Kain shivered and leaned closer to his teammates, "Forget the forest, she's creepier."

A Grass Genin had appeared directly behind Anko, returning her kunai by holding it in her tongue. Toga yelped at the sight of the unusual tongue, "Whoa! That thing is gross!"

"Calm down, Toga," Misa said.

Anko walked back to the front of the crowd. "Now, before we begin, I have something for you all...it's just a standard consent form." She took a stack of papers out from inside her coat. "Before the test, all of you are going to have to read over this form and then sign it."

"What for?" Naruto asked.

"Some of you may not come back from this test," Anko explained, smiling sadistically. "And I have to get your consent to that risk. Otherwise, it'd be my responsibility. Now, I'll explain what you'll be doing on this test. Here, pass this out."

She handed Naruto the stack to handout. "The first thing you need to know is that this will test every one of your survival skills."

_Survival, huh? Pssh, that won't be any trouble. Triple threat...we can handle anything. _Toga took a paper from the stack and handed it off to the Genin squad standing next to her.

"First," Anko pulled out a scroll with a map of the Forest. "Let me give you a physical description of the terrain of the practice field. The Forty-Fourth Battle Training Zone has 44 locked entrance gates. It has rivers and a forest inside. It's center is a locked tower located ten kilometers from each gate. It's in this confined a area that you'll undergo the survival test. The test consists of...an anything goes battle to get your hands on these scrolls."

She put away the map scroll, then pulled out two scrolls that read Heaven and Earth. Sasuke frowned, "Both?"

"Yes," Anko answered. "You'll be fighting to get both. A Heaven Scroll and a Earth Scroll."

"Sounds simple enough," Kain shrugged.

"Oh, ho. Of all 26 teams that will be participating in this test...only half will succeed," she smirked at the kids. "I'll be giving one kind of scroll to each team. And that's what you'll be vying for. Your entire squad must bring both a Heaven and a Earth Scroll to the tower."

"Only half will succeed?" Sakura furred her brows, concerned. "Maybe even less if we're lucky."

"No one said it would be easy," Anko replied, in a "obviously" tone. "Oh, and one more thing. The test has a time limit. You must finish it within 5 days."

"5 days out there?!" Ino exclaimed.

"What're we supposed to do for food?!" Choji shouted.

"Just look around," Anko suggested, putting her two scrolls away. "The forest is full of things to eat. There's plenty to feed all of you."

"Yeah, but," Kabuto interjected, "that's not all the forest's full of. There are man-eating beasts and poisonous plants in there."

"I guess anyone who isn't good with survival is shit outta luck with this test," Toga sneered, folding her arms under her chest.

"The nights are short right now, the days long," Misa said. "The entire area is enemy territory. There won't be any chance to actually sleep. We'll have to be on constant alert."

"That's right," Anko nodded, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "The test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. This is designed to be a grueling test and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge."

Shikamaru raised his hand, "So...let's say mid-exam, can we quit?"

"Of course not. In the middle of a battle, you can't say 'sorry, I quit'. Well, I guess you could, but it'll probably get you killed." Anko narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "There are also some ways you can get disqualified. The first is simple; if all three members of a team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. Number two; if a team loses a member or a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue. But most important...none of you, absolutely none of you may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower."

"What if it happens to flap open and you read it?" Naruto asked.

"Let me put it to you this way, young man. You. Don't. Want. To. Know." She came him a disturbing smile. "There are times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents. The scroll rule is to test your integrity. Okay, we're done. Each team, take your consent forms over there and exchange them for scrolls. After that, each team pick a gate, and you'll be let inside. Oh, and I have one more word of advice...just don't die!"

"Come on," Misa motioned for her teammates to follow her. She took them over behind a large boulder. Kain pulled out a pen from his pouch and sighed his form.

"Just like that?" Toga asked, raising a brow. "No complaints, no groaning, grumbling, sighing, whining?"

"We said we'd see this thing through. How can I complain?" He handed the pen to her.

"Once we get our scroll, we'll figure out a plan to get the other one," Misa said.

They handed her their consent forms and they went to the stand where they were given an Earth Scroll. The three kids exchanged glances and gave the scroll to Kain to keep a hold of. "Alright," the sentinel said. "Your gate is 7."

"Thanks."

Toga shivered with excitement as they left the stand, "This is gonna be awesome. Who'd ever thought we'd get to be in a anything-goes survival test? It's absolutely perfect for us."

"I wanna keep our formation tight," Misa said, strictly serious. "Each hour we're going to switch keeping of the scroll between us. Kain has it for this first hour. Toga, you'll take for the next, then me."

"Are you sure?" Kain raised a brow. "Someone might catch on if they start following us."

"No one can tail us without us knowing it. Especially not Genin. Master Karina trained us to be the best of the best. Tracking, survival, infiltration, spying, assassination, everything...she drilled it into us. There's no way we could lose." Misa stopped in front of Gate 7 where a female sentinel waited patiently.

Misa turned to her teammates and lowered her voice, "Before we go in, I wanna establish a distinguishing feature."

"Yeah," Toga nodded. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a small knife. She carved the number 3 onto her palm, right below her thumb. Kain took the knife and did the same, as well as Misa.

"To prove we're the genuine thing in case of separation, raise your left hand to show the mark. It's small enough to not be easily noticed. The number three could mean anything, that's what the enemy will think," Misa explained, clenching her fist. "Alright. Remember, this is cakewalk compared to what Master Karina put us through."

"Right," they both agreed.

The sentinel unlocked the gate then checked her watch. She backed away then nodded, "Go in."

Toga took the lead and kicked the gate open. The three of them zipped through and jumped up into the trees. Toga noticed something below and gave the signal to halt. They stopped atop a thick branch overlooking a small clearing. A squad all male Genin were looking around, all carrying heavy backpacks. Toga glanced at Misa. She narrowed her eyes then nodded and glanced at Kain. He smirked, "Got it."

The three Genin kept glancing around. "Do you see anything?" one asked.

"Nope. Guess the coast is-huh?" The guy with the purple shirt drew his kunai knife as he noticed Kain emerging from the bushes. "Who're you?! If you think you can take our Scroll, you got another thing coming."

Kain smiled. The Genin with the red jacket was suddenly thrown forward. The two Genin turned around and screamed as a massive, demonic creature roared, preparing to strike with it's blood soaked claws. Their screams escalated as they were thrown around like rag dolls. The Genin in the purple shirt crawled away until he backed up into a tree. "N-no! Please! D-don't kill me! PLEASE!"

"Ha!" Toga sneered and picked up the guy by his collar. She pounded her fist in his face, knocking him out cold. "Ha! Ha!"

"Toga, shut up," Kain scolded, rubbing his throat. "You know how hard that kinda genjutsu is on my throat."

"Whatever. You liked it, too."

"Enough," Misa ordered, picking through the Genin's pockets. She searched through the red jacket guy's packs and found his scroll. "Damn, an Earth Scroll."

"Well, at least we took them down, right?" Toga asked, shrugging.

"It's better to keep them out of the competition. The less there are the better." She held the Scroll in her hands, concentrating intensely. Suddenly, the Scroll burst into flames. She dropped it, letting it incinerate completely. "Alright, let's move out."

She took a step then heard a crunch. She knelt down and picked up the potato chip. _BBQ flavored...fresh. Someone probably opened a bag then left in a hurry to avoid the three we took on. So...they're not far, _Misa scanned the area. She narrowed her eyes at a bundle of bushes, sensing three presences. She opened her mouth to say something when screaming rang out through the forest. Kain listened closely, "They sound close. A team's probably just been taken down. I hear...leeches."

"Ew."

"Right," Misa stood up. "We need to head out to a river. Set up camp, traps, the works..."

"What about...them?" Toga nodded to the bundle of bushes.

Misa clenched her fist, eying the bushes. Kain sighed and grumbled, "I'd rather take care of our needs before dealing with a bunch of lowlifes who won't even come out of hiding to attack. They'll be taken out by someone else. Let's just go."

Misa relaxed her fist. She sighed and eased her composure, "Alright, but no more letting anything slide. Everyone's our enemy. Remember that."

He mock saluted her. Misa frowned at him in annoyance then jumped back into the trees. Toga and Kain jumped after her.

**The River, July 3...**

Misa dumped water on the burning pile of Earth Scrolls. Toga groaned in exhaustion, "A whole and still nothing. We've taken out 5 teams so far. How are we that unlucky?"

"That's what makes this test so difficult," Kain replied, leaning against a large boulder. "It has to be worst than the last test."

"Oh, shut up! You're not even breaking a sweat!"

"Toga," Misa whispered. "You're too loud."

Kain and Toga blinked in confusion. Misa grabbed a kunai from her holster and tossed it behind her, nailing someone. Three Leaf ninja hopped away towards the water. All three of them were wearing purple, but only two wore masks. The guy with a mask and glasses clutched his shoulder. He pulled the kunai out, "Damn. That was a good shot."

"I missed," Misa said. She narrowed her eyes at them.

Kabuto was smirking. He was standing just so that a glare was cast over his glasses. "Hey...you three wouldn't happen to have an Earth Scroll, would you?"

Misa returned the smirk, "Why? You got a Heaven Scroll? That's nice of you to bring it to us."

"Sorry," Kabuto pushed his glasses up. "But we're the ones that're gonna walk away from this alive."

"I suppose, but three against two isn't fair, is it?"

Kabuto frowned, suddenly realizing that one of them was missing. His companion with sunglasses was suddenly thrown against the large boulder. Toga pounced on top of him on all fours. "See? Three against two!"

"What?!"

Kain hopped around behind them and made several chakra signs. He placed his hand on his throat and opened his mouth, letting out a harmonious tune. Kabuto hopped away from Kain's singing path, but his companion with glasses was not so lucky. His eyes grew hazy and he wobbled over to Kain, mesmerized. Toga pounced on him, too, knocking him out cold. She turned to Kabuto, "Huh. For a veteran, I can see why this is your seventh try."

Kabuto stared at her in horror, then suddenly relaxed his face. "You're the unlucky one."

Toga gasped as he suddenly disappeared. Misa frowned then widened her eyes. She jumped up as Kabuto sprang out from below, his hand glowing with chakra. "Good move. But...that was just a fluke."

He appeared behind her and slammed his hand against her back. Misa yelped in pain as she rolled away. Toga caught her and growled at Kabuto, "You dirty bas-"

"Hey, now...this is what this test all about. Anything goes, remember?" he teased. Kabuto raised his hand then charged. Kain appeared in-between them, holding a kunai. Kabuto narrowed his eyes in disdain then swiped at Kain's neck. Kain fell to his knees, clutching his throat, struggling to find his voice.

Toga widened her eyes in realization, "You're...a medic ninja? But, how? You're a Genin!"

"Don't underestimate me," he warned, turning his murderous glare on her. "And don't worry. Once I'm done with you, I'll finish of the other two. The less there is of you, the better."

"Exactly."

Kabuto gasped and whirled around, seeing Misa standing directly behind him. He jumped away on instinct, _h-how?! I severed her spinal cord completely...she shouldn't be able to move! _Misa glared at him in hatred, her body steaming. She hunched over as her body was suddenly engulfed in flames. Kabuto watched in horror as Misa's burning body grew, forming claws and a tail. Her face turned flat so that her bright eyes and forked tongue clashed with the flames. _What the hell is she?! _He jumped over to the river as Misa slammed her hand down on the boulder, shattering it.

Slowly, she turned to face him. She wobbled over to the river. "Y-you're...mine..."

Kabuto glanced around, finding himself in a large room covered in hot flames. "N-no! Where am I?! Get me out of here!"

Kain rubbed his hand against Kabuto's head, closing his eyes. "That should do it."

"Good," Misa said. "Sorry to make you use such a high level of genjutsu."

"Nah. It was worth it," Kain smiled, holding the Heaven Scroll. "Not bad for our second day, huh?"

"Gah! I really wanted to go at them," Toga complained. "I thought for sure they wouldn't fall for the ol' helpless-girl-left-as-bait trick. These guys pathetic or what?"

"There's no point in pondering their abilities. We got what we needed. Now, let's get to the tower," Misa ordered. She narrowed her eyes at Kabuto, _that guy's a medic ninja...how the hell does a veteran Genin know medical ninjutsu. For such precise skill...he'd have to be a Jonin, but...whoever this guy is, he's trouble. _

**Daruma Clan Compound, July 4...  
**

Marise entered the living room and frowned, "What's all this?"

"Oh," Jijo smiled and bowed at Marise. "I am simply finishing up Lady Naomi's packing for her trip."

"What? It's that time already?" Marise sighed. "Where is she?"

"In the courtyard, ma'am."

Marise huffed and left the room. She passed through Naomi's room. Naomi was standing on a round, stone step, watching the koi fish swimming around in the small pond. Marise blinked in surprise at her sister's outfit. Naomi wore a deep red mini-kimono that showed off a lot of her large bosom with the skirt part forming points in front and behind her knees, and splits on each side. She wore a black, sleeveless haori that reached down to her calves with a silver diamond pattern along the bottom. The entire outfit was held together by a wide, silver sash tied in a big bow on her waist with the hoops and ends hanging down to her thighs.

"You're wearing your Jonin outfit? Why?"

"With the Chunin Selection Exams occurring, the outskirts of the village is crawling with assassins. I won't take my chances," she replied, heading back to her room.

"If you took a couple of guards with you, you wouldn't have to," Marise pointed out.

"No. I always go alone. That's the way I like it." Naomi placed her hand on Marise's shoulder. "You're acting Head until my return."

Marise huffed in disbelief. "How long will you be gone now? A week? Two?"

"Only three days. Despite your objections, I am going, Marise."

"Why? Where? Does it have to be now?"

"Yes," Naomi glanced back at her. "Three days. I will be back in time to congratulate Sasuke on passing the Second Exam before the Third begins."

"Naomi-"

"End of discussion," Naomi scowled as she walked towards the door. "I am going. Suck it up and await my return."

**The Tower, July 6...**

Misa, Toga, and Kain stood in formation with the other 18 Genin. Misa was in front, in-between Gaara and Neji. The seven Jonin squad leaders stood on the platform behind the Hokage. Several other Jonin and Chunin were standing on either side of the platform. Anko was standing to the left of the Hokage, "First of all, congratulations on finishing the Second Exam."

Karina stood in-between Kakashi and Asuma. She couldn't help but smirk at the sight of her students, _barely any serious bruises...they never fail to disappoint me. _

"Alright, now pay attention!" Anko ordered, yelling despite the headset she had on. "Lord Hokage is going to explain the Third Exam to you. You better listen carefully, maggots. Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

The Hokage nodded and took his pipe out of his mouth. He cleared his throat and put his pipe back in his mouth. "First, before I tell you what the Third Exam entails...I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now. It something that all of you need to understand. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams. Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations to be sure, but its important that you understand its true meaning. The exams are, so to speak, uh..." He paused to blow out smoke from his pipe. "They are representation of the battle between allied nations."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Tenten asked, peeking around Lee.

"Now, if we look at our history, all the countries that we are currently allied with...were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military strength meaninglessly, those nations pick champions to do battle on behalf of their country in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin Selection Exams originally began."

"Well, that's great, but why do we have to go through these exams then?" Naruto asked. "I mean, it's not like we're going this to pick Chunin to go fight."

"Well, actually," the Third Lord took a drag from his pipe, "there is no question that the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming Chunin. That's just not the whole story. These exams also allow for a place where Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs, and fight against other ninja for their very lives."

"Pride of their nation?" Toga muttered, frowning.

"Many leaders and people of prominence of various countries are invited to attend this exam as guests," the Third Lord continued. "And also to possibly seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out. And more importantly, those rulers will watch your battles and take note of the strengths each ninja and each nation is developing. If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja and conversely, the requests to countries that are deemed weak decline. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our position when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries. So it's important to show how much military strength our village has."

"Okay, but even so," Kiba interjected, "why is it necessary for us to risk our lives?"

"The country strength is the village's strength. The village's strength is the shinobi's strength," the Hokage replied. "And the true strength of the shinobi is only achieved when it's pushed to it's limits such as in a life-and-death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display its village shinobi and enhance the strength of the nation itself. It is because this is an exam where your life is on the line that has meaning. And its for this very reason, for the strength of the nation, that your forerunners fought in this exam. It's truly a dream worth striving for."

"Then why use the word 'friendship'?" Misa asked.

"You mustn't have the wrong idea of the exam's meaning. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying. In the world of the shinobi, that is friendship. The Third Exam is a fight for life with the pride of the village and your own dreams at stake."

Naruto harrumphed with a smile, "Well, he sure convinced me."

"Any test is fine," Gaara said. "Just tell me what the details of the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me."

The Third Hokage nodded in agreement, "Very well then. Now, listen closely. I'm going to tell you exactly what you'll all be doing on the Third Exam."

Suddenly, two ninja appeared before the Hokage, kneeling with their heads down. The man with the bandanna spoke first, "Lord Hokage, before you do, please allow us, the appointed Proctors of the Third Exam, to speak first."

"So be it."

They both stood up and turned to face the 7 teams. The man was young, but pale and sickly looking with dark circles under his eyes. The girl was beautiful with light blond hair and piercing, hazel eyes. She wore the standard flak jacket with a black mini-skirt and boots. She also wore dark red sleeves held in place with white bands on her upper arms, forearms, and wrists. "It's nice to meet you all. I am Mashiro Tachibana, and this is Hayate Gekko. Before we proceed, there is something we need to clear up."

* * *

**end of chapter 4**

**please review  
**


	5. Preliminaries Part 1

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: i do not own the Naruto series and/or anime  
**

**Rated T for language, violence, and some sexuality  
**

**Enjoy and R&R  
**

* * *

**The Tower, Forty-Fourth Training Ground, July 6...  
**

Mashiro Tachibana and Hayate Gekko stood before the 21 Genin. Mashiro took a step forward, "We have to have a Preliminary Exam before we move onto the actual Third Exam."

"Preliminary?!" Shikamaru blurted in disbelief. "Just whaddya mean by that?!"

"I'm sorry, but, uh, excuse me," Sakura peeked around Sasuke, "but I really don't see the point. What's this preliminary all about? Why can't we just move on to the Third Exam?"

"Uh, well, you see," Hayate spoke up. "The First and Second Exams might've been too easy. The fact is, we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the Chunin Exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining."

"B-but is that fair?"

"It doesn't matter," Mashiro responded. "At this stage, we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best."

She glanced at Hayate. He held a clipboard with a list of all 21 candidates. "If there any of you who are not in top physical condition, now's your chance to-" he broke out into a coughing fight "-sorry about that. As I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this, now's the time for you to bow out. The Preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"Come on! You mean right now?!" Kiba snapped.

"We just finished barely surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?" Ino whined, slumping her shoulders.

"Man, what a drag."

"When do we eat?"

"Oh, and the winners will be determined by one-on-one combat, sudden death," Mashiro informed. "So, like Hayate said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand."

Most of the Genin were quiet. Mashiro noticed Sasuke Uchiha holding onto the right side of his neck and bickering with Sakura. She glanced back at the Hokage who nodded in acknowledgement of the boy's condition. Mashiro turned to Hayate, "Perhaps we should call out the Uchiha boy?"

Hayate made a low grumbling sound as he thought, "He's probably not the type to quit on his own. And every candidate deserves a chance. They're all exhausted, probably starving, and slightly dehydrated. Its up to him."

Mashiro nodded in understandment. "Alright."

"Uh." Zaku, one of the Sound Genin, peeked around Dosu. Both of his arms were in slings. "Since this preliminary is one-on-one combat...I'm of no use without my arms. I...I can't continue."

Hayate flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "Zaku Abumi of the Sound Village, right? Okay, you can go on and step back."

Dosu turned around and whispered something to Zaku. He nodded despite looking shamed. Zaku casted a hungry, evil glance at Sasuke before breaking out of the group and leaving the room. Some of the Genin watched until he disappeared into the hall. Hayate's cough interrupted the silence. "Now then, does anybody else wanna quit?"

Mashiro sighed, realizing that no one else was coming forward. "Alright, we'll now begin the Preliminary Round. To avoid confusion, _I _will be serving as Proctor of only this Preliminary Exam. Hayate is the actual Proctor of the Third Exam. This Exam consists of one-on-one, individual combat at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are 20 of you remaining, so that means 10 matches total. The 10 winners will advance to the Third Exam. As for the rules, there aren't any. The match ends upon death or one concedes defeat...or is rendered physically incapable of continuing. Naturally, those who are losing are encourage to concede defeat promptly to avoid fatal outcome. Furthermore, as Proctor, I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I am in full within my right to intervene, to save as many lives as possible. Now, it's time to choose the candidates for the first match."

She glanced back at Anko. Anko nodded and pressed the com on her headset, "Open the panel."

The far left panel on the wall slowly slid open, revealing a blank screen. "The names of each match are chosen randomly," Mashiro informed the Genin. "Before each match, the names will display on that screen. That's all there is to say, so...let's begin."

The screen flashed yellow then returned to normal. A v_s _sign appeared and then the screen began to cycle names. The Genin watched closely as the first two names were chosen: _Toga Maneki vs Sasuke Uchiha_.

Toga blinked in surprise then smiled, _alright, time to see what the Uchiha are made of. _

Hayate returned to his spot beside Anko. Mashiro cleared her throat, "Toga Maneki, Sasuke Uchiha, come forward."

Sasuke and Toga obeyed. "You have been chosen for the first match. Are there any objections?"

"None here," Sasuke said.

"Hell no," Toga snickered. She frowned in curiosity upon noticing Sasuke making faces of pain. _What's with him?_

"Now then," Mashiro said, "everyone other than two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level."

All the Leaf Genin went towards the right balcony to overlook the match. The rest, went to the other one. The Jonin leaders walked off to join their squads. Karina walked over to Toga and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Toga smirked.

Karina smiled and followed Kakashi up onto the balcony. The rest of the Jonin joined the Hokage on the platform, leaving Mashiro on the floor with Toga and Sasuke facing each other. "Alright. Begin."

Toga got into an attack position and reached back into her pouch. Sasuke grabbed a kunai from his holster. She three three shuriken at him, but he managed to deflect them. Sasuke cried out in pain and fell over. He glanced up and gasped as Toga suddenly appeared on top of him, rearing her fist back. Sasuke slid away just as her fist hit the ground, shattering the tile around the impact. He dug his kunai into the ground to swing himself back towards her. He latched his legs around her arm and forced her to the ground in a arm lock. "Gotcha!"

Kain blinked, a bit surprised, "That's unlike Toga. Since when does she every let someone get ahold of her?"

"Have you forgotten what we've been through these past few days?" Misa asked, raising a brow.

_Damn, too careless. _Toga rolled backwards onto her knees, forcing Sasuke to roll with her. She got to her feet and raised Sasuke in the air, flipping him off her and onto the floor. Sasuke groaned from the impact. Toga backed away, rubbing her arm. _Little shit, he was gonna break my arm! Oh, he is so going to pay! _Toga bit her right thumb and weaved several hand signs. She slammed her hand down, and a pouf of smoke sprang up.

Kakashi blinked in surprise, "A summoning jutsu...by a Genin?"

Karina frowned and gripped the guard rail tighter. _Calling on Rurihime with most of her chakra depleted...? She can't be seriously thinking of going into Sage mode like this. _

The smoke cleared. A tiger stood in front of Toga. It was about the same size as the two kids, and had a Leaf headband tied around it's neck. Toga plopped down cross-legged, "Rurihime, buy me some time!"

"Got it!"

"The tiger can talk?!" Naruto shouted in disbelief.

"My ninja dogs can talk...Guy's turtle can talk," Kakashi reminded him. "So, yeah, tigers can talk."

Sasuke gasped and jumped back as Rurihime made a swipe at him. Rurihime pounced on top of Sasuke, pinning him to the ground. Sasuke held his arm against the tiger's neck, keeping her from biting his face off. He kicked the tiger in the stomach and rolled away. Rurihime hopped back over to Toga. "That boy...there's something evil inside him. You know I hate getting involved in evil things."

"I know," Toga said, opening her eyes. "Thanks."

Rurihime nodded and disappeared in a pouf of smoke. Toga stood up, her eyes now like that of a tiger. Her skin was now orange with black stripes, whiskers sprouted from her cheeks, and her nails had extended into dark claws. Sasuke recoiled in confusion, "What are you?"

Toga got down on all fours, "Your worst nightmare."

She disappeared. Sasuke gasped and turned around just in time to dodge Toga's swipe at his head. Toga attacked; mixing taijutsu with basic tiger-style fighting. She twisted her body and swung her fist around. Sasuke managed to dodge it, but his cheek squished up like he had been hit. He rolled off to the side, clutching his cheek in pain. _She didn't even hit me! How the hell...what is she?!_

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Come on, man! What was that?! And you call yourself an Uchiha?! You're gonna let this goon walk all over you! Come on! Stop messing around and get it in gear!"

Misa frowned at Naruto from where she stood, "That boy is really annoying."

"Now, that's unlike you," Kain snickered at her with a sleazy grin. "Is that blond shorty getting under your skin?"

"Shut up."

Toga smirked, barring her carnivore teeth. She charged Sasuke, but he ducked and rolled just in time. She put her weight on her hands and kicked back, barely missing his nose. _I only got a minute left in sage mode. I gotta make it count. _She lowered her foot and twisted, swiping at his head. Sasuke gave a smirk then squatted down. He slid right under her and kicked his foot up against her chin, propelling her into the air. Sasuke flipped over onto all fours and jumped up behind her. "Okay, I admit I kinda borrowed that move, but from here on in, it's all original."

"What?!" Toga glanced back at him. _Dancing Leaf Shadow! But that's...! _

Misa and Kain stared up at the two in shock as they sailed through the air. _What? How can he possibly have Guy's moves? _Karina blinked in surprise then glanced at Guy. _Unless..._

Sasuke yelped in pain. Toga gasped in surprise as tiny flames danced across Sasuke's face. He snapped his eyes open and the flames receded back to the mark on his neck. Sasuke smirked and swung his leg up, but Toga blocked it easily. He used the momentum to swing around and slam his fist against her chin. As the fell, Sasuke spun around and brought his foot down on Toga's stomach just as she collided with the floor. "**_Lion's Barrage__!_**"

Her body curled from the impact and Sasuke slid back, falling face down. Toga clutched her middle and fell onto her side. Mashiro walked over to Toga and knelt down, _this one is certainly done for. _Sasuke caught her attention as he groaned, slowly getting up on his knees. "I'm declaring this match over," Mashiro stood up. "As the winner, Sasuke Uchiha, advances to the finals."

"Way to go!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke panted, leaning back. Kakashi appeared behind him and stuck his knee out, catching Sasuke. "Hm. Not bad."

Misa stared at Toga then at Sasuke, _I can't believe Toga lost. That Uchiha boy..., _Misa smirked. _I can't wait until the Finals. _Kain noticed Misa's silent excitement and rolled his eyes. _Ugh. _He glanced up at Karina, "What does this mean?"

"It means Toga fails," Karina said. She leaned against the wall and folded her arms under her chest.

"W-wait."

Toga, still clutching her middle, was up on her elbows. "I...I can still...fight!"

"The match is over," Mashiro informed. "Sasuke Uchiha has already been declared the winner."

Toga growled, her eyes reverting back to her tiger-form. "I can still fight!"

Karina appeared beside her student with her hand on Toga's shoulder. Toga gasped and her eyes returned to normal. Karina leaned in close, "That's enough. You lost. Don't push yourself any further. If you use senjutsu again at this point...you'll die."

Toga gritted her teeth in pain as she glared at Sasuke. She gasped and coughed up a wad of blood. Several medic ninja ran over with a stretcher. Karina helped ease Toga onto it. _It's bad enough that she used senjutsu despite her depleted state...but to call on it again. She was so determined to defeat Sasuke that she was willing to accept the risks. _She glanced over where Kakashi was whispering to Sasuke. _That boy...is something else. _

**Daruma Clan Compound...**

"Lady Marise."

"Yes?" Marise glanced up from her book.

"Kakashi Hatake is here. He wishes to speak with you."

_Kakashi? _Marise got up. "Alright. I'll go see him."

She hiked up the collar of her kimono. She preferred wearing her ninja outfit, but since she has the week off, she figured she could afford to relax. Marise walked out into the front courtyard where Kakashi waited with Sasuke. She blinked in surprise; Sasuke was covered in dirt and bruises. He was holding onto his neck and wouldn't meet her gaze. Marise turned to Kakashi, "Well, this is a surprise."

"Forgive the informal entrance," Kakashi said, rather bluntly. "Where is Lady Naomi?"

"On a trip. She won't be back until tomorrow," she glanced at Sasuke. "What happened?"

Kakashi turned to Sasuke, "Show her. Go on."

Sasuke scowled in embarrassment. He approached Marise and pulled his collar down, revealing the curse mark on his neck. Marise gasped and latched onto him. "H-hey! That hurts, Marise!"

_This is a curse mark...and not just any...it's exactly like Anko's! Orochimaru's here, but...why is he after Sasuke?! Damn it, Naomi, this was the worst time to go on a stupid trip. _She let go of Sasuke. "Follow me."

She led Kakashi and Sasuke to the main dining room and ordered them to wait. Marise made her way to the Daruma Library near Naomi's room. She cross the room to where a statue of Buddha sat with a smile and his hands folded in a delicate way. She placed her hand on the Buddha's belly, and the lotus blossom underneath the Buddha opened up to reveal stairs leading down.

Below, was a larger room full of various scrolls, some new and some brittle and old. Marise went straight to the left wall and found a small scroll. She left the room and touched the Buddha's belly again to re-seal the room. She returned to the dining room and handed Kakashi the scroll. "This should do it. Although, killing the one who placed the curse on Sasuke...then resurrecting the caster through the curse mark is actually the best way to remove it."

"Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of time," Kakashi said, placing the scroll in his pouch. "I will return the scroll once the mark is sealed."

"Thank you. If Naomi was here, she'd be able to tell you _exactly _how it works."

"It's fine. I'll figure it out," he assured her.

Marise glanced at Sasuke who still wasn't meeting her gaze, "When Naomi returns...I have to tell her."

Sasuke frowned and got up, "If that's all you need, then let's go."

Marise and Kakashi watched as he left the room in a huff. "You'll make sure he's alright, won't you?"

"Of course," Kakashi said. "After the seal is done and I return the scroll, I'll take him to the hospital."

"I'm assuming he's advancing to the Third Exam?"

"Yes."

Marise narrowed her eyes in thought, "Then...you're planning on training him, correct?"

"...yes."

"You'll have to have Naomi's consent first," she informed, heading towards the door. "As Sasuke's legal guardian, she also has total control over his growth. You probably heard this already, but...Naomi was the one who approved your appointment to Team 7."

"Yes, I had heard. Don't worry. When she returns, I'll ask for her permission."

**The Tower, Forty-Fourth Training Ground...**

"Let's move right on to the second match," Mashiro said. The screen flashed yellow and cycled through the names again, settling on a pair: _Shino Aburame vs Dosu Kinuta_. Mashiro held her arms out, "Step forward, please."

Shino and Dosu walked down from the balconies and faced each other on the floor. "Very good," Mashiro said. "Now, if you're both ready, we'll begin."

"I'm ready," Dosu mused.

Shino said nothing. Mashiro back up to give them some space, "Begin."

Dosu remained quiet, watching unblinkingly. Shino simply stood with his hands in his pockets, "If you fight me, you won't be able to recover. Forfeit and withdraw."

Dosu harrumphed, "Unlikely."

He charged. Dosu lifted his right sleeve up and swung his fist around. Shino blocked instinctively, then suddenly collapsed to the ground. Dosu kicked him back. "Hmph," Dosu lowered his arm and turned to Mashiro. "I suppose that means I win."

Mashiro said nothing and glanced over at where Shino was. Dosu followed her gaze and widened his eye in surprise. Shino slowly rose to his feet. As he did, the sound of tiny screeching and crawling echoed throughout the room. Shino raised his head. Hundreds of tiny bugs were crawling out from three tiny holes in his face. Dosu stared in shock, _bugs...he's like a human hive. Huh? _Dosu glanced back, seeing an army of bugs crawling towards him.

Shino held up a single bug on the tip of his finger, "They're a rare type of parasitic beetle that attack and swarm they're prey, eating it's chakra. An army this size...will suck you dry in less than a minute. Your only intelligent option is to forfeit the match. You can't fight two opponents at once."

Misa narrowed her eyes at the back of Shino's head, "He sure does like to hear himself talk."

Dosu glanced back and forth between Shino and the army of advancing beetles. He pulled his sleeve back to reveal his gauntlet. "They may be bugs, but they have the same weakness as humans."

He reared his fist back and punched the ground, creating a loud _clank_. Shino's bug army stopped. Dosu chuckled a bit, then huffed in confusion. "What?"

"Confused? You should be," Shino mused, appearing directly behind Dosu. "While you were staring at me, I took the opportunity to send some of my bugs inside your bothersome gauntlet...to disrupt the sound machine inside. What good is your weapon...if you can't use it?"

Dosu stared in horror as Shino's bugs crawled in and out of the holes on his gauntlet. "You...!"

Shino back-slapped Dosu with his fist, sending him spiraling to the ground. Mashiro walked over to Dosu's unconscious body. His eye was closed and the bugs were crawling out of the gauntlet to return to Shino. She stood up, "This one's done. The winner is Shino Aburame."

Misa glanced up at Karina, "Master...what kind of summoning jutsu is that? I watched him carefully...he barely moved his hands."

"That wasn't a summoning jutsu," Karina said, watching Shino walking over to the stairs. "It's a secret technique known only to the Aburame Clan. They specialize in bug taming."

"Bug taming?" Kain raised a brow. "Sounds gross."

"Typically...Aburame Clan members have to carry their bugs around in a gourd of some kind. Only the strongest of them...can handle letting the bugs live inside them."

Misa and Kain exchanged surprised glances. "I knew a Aburame Clan member during my time in the Academy," Karina continued. "Though, he had used nano-sized bugs and, to this day, doesn't have full control of them. But that boy...yeah, I'd say he's got full control over those bugs."

Shino walked by them silently. Misa watched him. She couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses, but she stared unblinkingly. He still said nothing as he left them and rejoined his team. Misa turned back to face the battle floor, _not sure who I want to fight more...Sasuke Uchiha, or the Aburame prodigy. _She smirked at this thought.

**Uchiha Hideout...**

Naomi entered the vast meeting hall. It was a grand, bare room with a single throne on the far wall. She set her back down and walked across the room, her bare feet gently slapping against the floor. She approached the throne where a man her age sat comfortably. His black cloak with red clouds was zipped down so he could rest his hands in his lap. Naomi met his eyes, "Hello, Itachi."

* * *

**end of chapter**

**please review  
**

**I think I need to clarify some things, like the basic stats of my OCs:  
**

**Naomi Daruma, 17  
5'0"  
October 10  
**

**Marise Daruma, 13  
4'10"  
July 11  
**

**Nanami Senju, 22  
5'4"  
January 12  
**


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